Fastener



' 'UNITIEDIZSTATES JAMES B. SWIRES, or "nrz'rnorcn; MICHIGANQ- ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T ANDREW PATENT OFFICE.

HARRIS, OF DETROITyMIGI-IIGAN.

rAs'rENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Se'pt. 20, 1921.

-App1icatioi1 filed. November 6, 1920. Serial No. 422,184.

7 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs D. Swrnns, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in v the county of Wayne, and State of Michigan, have'invented certain new and useful Improvemerits in Fasteners, of which the following is av specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to fastening devicesand refers more particularly to devices for securing end or side gates to vehicle bodies. One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved construction of fastening device which will secure a gate to a vehicle body to prevent accidental separation of the gate from the body and also rattling, and which is provided with means for readily releasing the fastening device from the body. Other objects of the invention reside in the novel features of construction as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a portion of a vehicle body with my fastening device applied Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the fastening device;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the base and cam member of the fastening device in separated relation;

Fig. 1 is an end View of the cam member.

he vehicle body has the flooring 1 upon which is removably mounted the lower slat or bar 52 forming part of a gate, which may be of any usual construction. In order to prevent the gate from becoming accidentally disengaged from the body and also to prevent rattling, there is the following construction: 3 is a base adapted to be secured to the lower slat or bar 2 as by'means of the screws 4:. 5 is a hollow U-shaped body opening toward the base 3 and having its end 6 closed. 7 is a cross bar between the outer edges of the side flanges of the hollow body and at the opposite end thereof 8 within the body. This shank is U-shaped and has the cross bar 12 at its inner end. 13 is a coil spring lyingwithin the shank and abutting the cross bar 12 and theflange 8 of the cross bar 7. 14: is a shoulder upon the shank 13 engageable with the end of the back of the hollow body5 to limit inward movement of the shank relative to the hollow body. i

With this arrangement, the coil spring 13 being inclined relative tothe longitudinal axis of the hollow body 5 tends, to longitudinally move the hook 10 toward the hollow body and also tends to move the hook transversely inward with respect to the hollow body, to occupy the, position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. The construction is suchhowever,'that the hook may be moved longitudinally away from the hollow body to occupy the position shown in dotted lines adjacent to the lower edge of the base 3.

This cam member 15 has the transversely extending projections 16 which fit in correspondingly located recesses 17 in the lower face of the base so that when the base is secured to the slat or bar 2, the cam member will be firmly clamped in place. This cam member has the outwardly extending flange 18 adjacent to the lower edge of the base 3 and the transversely extending out-o ward flange 19 at the opposite sides of the base. The flange 18 is provided with the centrally located recess 20 in its outer edge which is'of a width to be engaged in by the shank of the hook 10. The outer edges of this flange 18 are preferably inclined downward toward the recess 20 from the outer edges of the flanges 19 and the sides of the recess are curved so that upon rotation of the body 5 the hook 10 will be immediately released from the flooring 1 by the hook riding over the curved edge. Upon continued rotative movement of the hollow body and hook, one side of the hollow body will engage the flange 18 of the cam member thereof, means for yieldably and thereby limit the rotation of the same. The hook is preferably provided with projection 21 at its lower end to permit of readily gripping the same for rotation.

What I claim as my invention is: a. 1. In a fastener, the combination with a body, of a hook movable angularly and transversely with respect to said body,

means for yieldingly moving said hook transversely in one direction, and a cam member-for moving said hook transversely in theopposite direction upon relative angular movement ofsaid body and cam member. 1

s 2. In a fastener, the combination with a body, of a hook rotatable therewith and movable transversely-of the path of rotation moving said hook transversely in one direction, and a cam member engaging said hook for moving the same transversely in the opposite direction upon rotation of said body.

.3. The combination with a pair of members of a fastener, comprising a body r0- tatably secured to one of said members, a hook rotatable with said body and movable transversely of the path of rotation thereof,

means for yieldably moving said hook transversely into engagement with the otherof said members, and a cam member upon said moving said hook lon rection and transversely in one direction, and

member to which saidbody is secured, said versely of the path of rotation thereof,

versely in one direction, and a cam member secured to said base for moving said hook means for yieldably. moving said hook transin the opposite direction, upon rotation of said bod v w 5. The combination with a support, of' a fastener, comprising a base secured to said support, a body rotatably mounted upon said base, a hook uponsaid body movable longitudinally and transverse1y of the. path of rotation thereof, means for yieldably 'itiidinally a cam member having transversely'extend mg projections engag ng in said base, said in one dicam member being engaged by said hook and adapted to move said hook transversely in the opposite direction upon rotation of said body. v t v In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature.

JAMES '1). swims. v P 

